Pela Maria Hotel All inclusive — Hotel in Municipality of Chersonissos

Clean hotel, staff helpful, food was different each day. Lots of meat options, not many vegetarian besides pasta and chips. No butter for bread at lunch/dinner, only breakfast. Ice cream only available during meal hours and was not regulated, so all of the flavours mixed together. Couldn't use drink machines after breakfast, so any water after was warm. The food was mediocre but warm. No signs on any of the food to tell you what it is/what's in it. Drinks are disgusting and limited. Hot drinks are good but the fizzy drinks awful. Cleaners came everyday (besides Sundays) but the hours varied, so could be at 8.30am If you're still getting ready (like we were) they do not come again. Elevator was tiny, fits 3 small people max or 2 a little more comfortably. Not for suitcases. The swimming pool was in the shade all day, along with all the sun beds. You got sun for very few hours if you manage to get a good space and then keep moving down. Not enough sun beds for everyone, so if you want a day at the pool you need to get the good seats early. Pool ladder was wobbly and the other ladder had no steps. Sun beds are very low to the ground so uncomfortable to get on/off. Food is allowed around the pool but have to dress to get the food. Some staff really friendly, others not so much. Pool refilled every morning, not sure if there was filtration though. Rooms had tiny balconies and most don't have sun. Awful place to stay if you want to sunbathe, but if you don't it's great. The public toilet was always dirty and smelly, but your rooms aren't too far up the stairs so that's a personal choice. Stairs themselves are a little worse for wear. Rooms are good poolside, anywhere else you will have music from the restaurant attached below all night. It opens straight onto the street so amazing for that, but you will get hassled by the restaurant staff attached to come in for food and drink (like everywhere else). The beach is about a five minute walk so that was amazing, but there isn't anywhere to sit on the beach as it is full of purchased sun beds or are private beaches attached to hotels. There wasn't enough tables/seats at the restaurant for everyone, so most of the time you find yourself waiting for someone to finish eating to get a seat, or sitting in the public area on sofas with random tables thrown together. The communal area was outdated and all of the travel guides are in greek. Never enough cutlery at the tables but tables are clean away immediately at all times, you're never left with something empty or done with. It is a lot of greek food. The rooms work on a magnet attached to your door key. You need to lock your door with your door key when you're inside, but you can't see because you can't put the magnet in the hole for the electricity. It is always done in the dark. Plus, the hole for the electric is right on top of the light for the bathroom, so everytime you turn the bathroom light on the key falls out of the magnet hole where it is balanced. There are fridges in the room. I liked that. Aircon doesn't really work. It only blows in one direction and is incredibly outdated. The buttons on the key pad don't work and there's no setting options, just on and off. You put it on to sleep and wake up freezing in the night, and then boiling in the morning again. The balcony doors are old and do not close easily. The air-conditioning leaks onto the balcony, that has a plastic cup attached to catch the water but that leaks as well. There isn't enough space for two people on some balconies. The beds were really comfortable but you are only given a thin sheet to sleep with. Enough storage space and hangers. Safe in the wardrobe. Bathroom light flickers a lot when it comes on. The shower has only one power setting, and it's low. The shower holder isn't adjustable (ours was actually broken) but it can be used hand held. Every shower room is different, ours had a seat whilst nextdoor was just a standard shower. Some rooms do not have enough space to move about, others are fine. Love the fact there were...

Arrival at the Pela Maria Hotel

We arrived at the Pela Maria Hotel at around 2 AM local time. It is a small, three-star, adults-only hotel. The friendly and helpful staff at the reception quickly handed us the room keys within a few minutes.

Accommodation Conditions

The room we were assigned turned out to be very small, only about 14 square meters. It did not meet our expectations, especially since the bathroom had a major flaw. It was so cramped that only one person, preferably a slim one, could fit, as the door opened inward and hit the toilet. A person of petite build might manage, but a man could have considerable difficulty using the toilet, let alone the shower. Additionally, there were visible water stains in the bathroom, and an unpleasant odor was present.

After two days, we decided to request a room change. The hotel staff readily provided us with a new room of a similar size but with a better bathroom layout and a larger balcony, which was a nice gesture on their part.

Balcony

The balcony in the room was small, equipped with a table and two chairs. There wasn't much space, but two people could fit. Unfortunately, the table had holes, which made it rather inconvenient. Additionally, there was an outdoor air conditioning unit above, which leaked, and the drops fell on whoever was sitting underneath.

Dining

As for the food, unfortunately, the hotel menu was quite monotonous, and after a few days, it became tiresome. Another downside was the lack of information about the ingredients of the dishes, which posed a problem for people with food allergies.

Hotel Infrastructure

The pool bar starts serving drinks, beer, and soft drinks from 10 AM and continues until 10 PM. Although the pool was small, it was sufficient considering the number of rooms in the hotel. However, the limited number of sunbeds could be an issue, though we usually managed to find a free spot. The pool area was mostly shaded, so sunbathing was only possible for a few hours in the morning. Unfortunately, the pool ladders needed renovation, as they were unstable.

A variety of music was played by the pool, but it wasn't too loud, allowing for peaceful relaxation in a pleasant atmosphere.

Connectivity and Location

The quality of the WiFi in the hotel left much to be desired, which is typical for three-star hotels. The signal was weak and sometimes disappeared altogether. Worse yet, the WiFi network was not password-protected, increasing the risk of data theft. I recommend using your own LTE connection.

One advantage of the hotel is its proximity to a bus stop, from which you can reach Heraklion for 3.5 euros per person one way. The trip takes about 45 minutes. There are many restaurants, bars, and shops around the hotel, making it attractive for those who enjoy nightlife. However, it's advisable to book a room facing the pool, as street noise could disturb your sleep. Additionally, there is a car wash located near the pool area, which cleans and washes rental cars at night. This can cause issues with sleep if you leave the window open due to the noise.

Cleanliness and Comfort

The room was cleaned daily, and towels were regularly replaced with fresh ones, providing basic comfort. The air conditioning, though not the newest, worked properly and cooled the room effectively. However, it’s hard to tell if it was regularly serviced and cleaned, which could affect the air quality in the room.

Security and Quietness

The room was locked with a standard key, which may have raised some security concerns. Additionally, the door to the room was very thin, making all sounds from the corridor clearly audible inside, which could interfere with restful sleep.

Additional Amenities

About 50 meters from the hotel, there is a car rental service. We managed to rent a Hyundai i10 for 180 euros for 4 days. Before that, we traveled by bus, where tickets can be purchased directly on board. Payments can be made by card (although sometimes they refuse and ask for...

NOTE: IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BE BY THE POOL IN THE SUN FOR MOST OF THE DAY PORBABLY DONT GO HERE The room was good and clean with air conditioners which were very effective and comfortable beds. However, the other resources in the hotel were subpar. The bar had a very limited selection of drinks, including ripnoff cola, really gross juices which were watered down, half a cup of raki mixed with half orange, or a selection of hot drinks, with the hot chocolate machine making muddy water some of the time since they failed to fill it up with chocolate powder multiple times :(. There was a selection of mediocre food which my non-picky-eater-faimly-member didn't like. They do not serve any snacks between meal times and they end strictly. They serve bread with all the meals but only offer butter at breakfast, which was inconvenient. They did rotate food quickly so there was rarely any times where there was a shortage which was good, but they are just as efficient with that as they are taking plates off of your table, some you will still be using. Further, which was less an issue more inconvenient was the fact they only let you self serve your drinks during breakfast, therefore the waiting for a bar tender to come was a bit annoying. For the worst and most disappointing part is the fact there is no sun by the pool. This may be August-bound but we had to chace the sun all day on the 25 sunbeds they supplied (which as you can imagine was not enough). The building is in such a position that there was only sun for us from 12pm-3:20pm, during this time we would have to constantly switch sunbeds to try and stay warm as on holidays, we prefer to be in sun not shade all day. The pool doesn't get any sun, maybe 30 mins if youre there at the right time, but most of the pool doesn't touch sunlight as it is quite small anyway. Tbh the best part of the whole this aside from the room was only the fact there was no childrwn which is really the only selling point. If you are staying here just for the room, this is a nice, clean and cheap place to stay and get bare minimum food. If your staying FOR the hotel to enjoy it there, yeah no probably not for you. The beach near also is absolutely stacked with sunbeds you have to pay for, but you'll find some beach to sit on if you're lucky or if you go around the corner to this little cove if you wanna sit on the rocks, but that's beside the point but thought I should mention cus they advertise this as a beach holiday hotel. Also the actual town is very busy and touristy but if you go to the villages up the mountain or near by you'll find what aesthetic you were expecting (old greek houses and restaurants and quaint...